Monday, January 9, 2023

Are you a Plotter or Pantser in Life?

  

 

“I cannot imagine a sorrier pursuit than struggling for years to write a book that attempts to appeal to people who do not read in the first place.”

Annie Dillard, The Writing Life

Dear friend,

The moral of the quote is simple, live your own life and be your own person.

2023 is already nine days strong. There is no more turning back. It is here to stay for the next 356 days. What you do with it is up to you.

So, draft that story, attend that class you always wanted, read that book, dance your heart out, bake that cake, paint the empty canvas that is gathering dust...

It you think about it, our lives are very much like a pantser’s dream. If you are a writer, you will understand the meaning. For those who aren’t, a Pantser is a writer who writes by the seat of his pants with no real plan in mind. There are times that the plotline is remarkable and at times it frays at the seams. Normally those type of plotlines lose its momentum in the middle and either the writer lose interest and walks away or finds himself stuck at that page for days, months and even years.  

But with a little planning, you can minimize the dreadful middle with a clear understanding of how you will reach the end. The Plotter is the one that does the work before the story begins. He does the research, get the characters in place, knows the topic well before he commence and can write the book in a short amount of time.

Life is like that, we cannot take the year on with no idea what we want to do with the 365 days gifted to us on day one.

Therefore, goals and planning is so important. Yes, things can still go wrong even when you plan everything perfectly. The character you really like becomes ill, a mad dash to the restaurant cause a serious accident, a tree falls on the roof…life happens, and we have no control over it. Things happen but when you have a plan in place then those accidents and obstacles becomes part of the story that gives it greater velocity and makes it endearing and believable.

So, author that book who no one might read. Dance your heart out even if you are alone…do the things you love and stop comparing yourself with others. Make this your year.

I want to leave you with this one question: how will you take this year on: as a Pantser or Plotter?

Book news:

I finished the Writer’s Journal for Beginners and it is available in PDF form in my online store. Ready to download. Writer's Journal for Beginners (authorlynelleclark.blogspot.com)

While there, browse around the store. I have added the digital formats to my books as well.


For those that haven’t seen it, I have podcasted some of my short stories in my native tongue. You can listen to it on Spotify.

Die Legende van Spoorbek (anchor.fm)

Die Genooides (anchor.fm)

Amazon Kindle: Amazon.com: Lynelle Clark and paperbacks.

Sign up for my newsletter to keep up to date.

Contact lynelleclark@gmail.com if you have a question or would like me to be part of any book project.   

I bless you with this song for 2023. Protector by by Kim Walker-Smith, Protector.

May the Lord be with you and bless you in this year. May His face shine upon you and you know without any doubt how much He loves you.

Lynelle  

The KreativPreneurs  Club Facebook group.

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